Hard case
Adds 8 to 12 lb and about an inch of protection on every side. The outer carton can be closer to the case dimensions, and the whole package survives corner drops that would end a bagged instrument.
Guitars
How to ship a guitar, step by step
Detune the strings a full step, pack the headstock so nothing under the neck can move, wrap the case, and drop the whole thing into a box that leaves two to three inches of foam or paper on every side. That is what a guitar that arrives whole looks like in transit; the walkthrough below is that job broken out.
Real packing methodCase-awareCarrier-agnostic
Detune, cushion, double-box
Neck breaks in transit are almost never dropped boxes; they are unsupported headstocks.
The steps, in order
The sequence matters. Loosening the strings before the case is opened saves a small guitar wrestle later, and cushioning the interior of the case before the case is boxed prevents the neck from taking the shock of the outer carton.
- Detune the strings about a full step. Full tension plus a cold truck cracks headstocks; completely slack strings let the bridge float on an acoustic and the neck slide in a set-neck electric. A step down keeps the guitar in the shape it belongs in without loading the neck.
- Cushion under the headstock inside the case. Slide a rolled T-shirt, a small towel, or a piece of medium-density foam under the neck near the nut, so the headstock does not sit alone with no support. Most in-transit breaks happen exactly there.
- Fill the case interior around the body. Tuck soft padding around the sides so the guitar cannot shift when the case tips end over end. Bubble wrap works for this, but soft cloth is kinder to a lacquer finish over a long trip.
- Close and latch the case. Latch every clasp. If the case is a gig bag, close every zipper, secure any external straps and add a strip of packing tape over the main zipper pull so it cannot walk open on a belt.
- Choose an outer box that leaves room for cushioning. Two to three inches of clearance on every side is the target for a hard case. Guitar shops sell purpose-built cartons, and the free freight boxes carriers hand out are almost never long enough.
- Line the outer box with foam or paper bricks. Lay two inches on the bottom first, then place the case, then fill every gap around the sides. The case should not shift when the box is rocked.
- Seal with real packing tape and mark orientation. Wide clear packing tape on every seam, top and bottom, plus a "This side up" arrow and a "Fragile — musical instrument" line. Neither label buys careful handling on its own, but both make it easier for a driver to route the box through a slower conveyor.
- Add signature and coverage at checkout. For a guitar worth more than a couple hundred dollars, ask for adult signature at delivery and declare the resale value so the carrier's claim ceiling is high enough to make the sender whole.
Case decisions
Gig bag
Cheap and light, but structurally nothing. Expect to build the outer box larger, use closer to four inches of foam padding, and accept a higher chance of cosmetic damage even so.
No case at all
Wrap the guitar in glassine or a soft cloth, add a purpose-built shipping shell inside the outer box, then treat the shell the way you would treat a case. It is more work than borrowing a case and the odds are worse.
A hard case adds weight, but length is what actually moves a guitar quote from one price band to the next. A cased Stratocaster and a bagged bass often reverse expectations for exactly that reason.
What to expect from the carrier side
Every parcel network moves guitars. UPS Ground and FedEx Ground handle the majority; USPS carries acoustic guitars in cardboard cases regularly as well, though its box-size ceiling is tighter. The price is set by the length of the packed carton, the packed weight, and the destination zone. Live quotes for a hard-case acoustic on a domestic lane are on the cased-guitar cost page, or use the calculator to price the guitar you have in front of you.
Book the label after the box is packed, not before. A carton measured empty is smaller than the one that arrives at the counter, and the rate the calculator returns depends on the dimensions actually typed in. Type the packed length, width and height into the SMKlog calculator once the tape is on.
Common questions
Do I really need to loosen the strings?
Detune roughly a full step. String tension plus a temperature swing on the truck is the classic recipe for a cracked headstock. Slack strings are equally bad on an acoustic because the bridge floats loose, so aim for detuned rather than untuned.
Case or no case?
A hard case makes the job easy, a gig bag makes it hard. A hardshell absorbs impact; a bag just holds the shape. Either way the instrument goes into a shipping carton, because a case is not a shipping container and drivers treat it as one if you hand it over bare.
How thick does the outer box need to be?
Two to three inches of padding on every side of the case, using foam or paper bricks. For a gig bag, closer to four inches, because the bag will not stop a corner drop and the padding has to.
Which carrier handles guitars best?
All three parcel carriers move guitars every day. Prices vary by length, weight and route more than by carrier, and the difference between a hard-case rate and a gig-bag rate is often larger than the difference between UPS and FedEx on the same lane.
Should I add signature or extra coverage?
For anything worth more than a couple hundred dollars, yes. Declared-value protection covers the resale price up to the carrier's ceiling, and adult signature at delivery keeps the box off a porch.